Fire extinguisher



4Od. 3, 1939. 1'- G. SLACK 2,175,068

FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed April l, 1937 T/'ozas 6, 5I@ ch Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to re extinguishers, particularly of the hand-operated, portable tank type and has for its object to provide an improved nozzle and pump construction for such extinguishers.

According to the present invention there is provided an extremely simple and compact pump assembly that may be readily applied to Various sizes of portable tanks, of the type that are adapted to be carried by an operator. The pump has associated therewith a new form of exible nozzle for throwing the stream of water from the tank in any desired direction, this nozzle .also serving as a handle for operating the pump. The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a portable fire extinguisher embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the suction stroke of the pump.

Fig. 3 shows the pressure stroke of the pump and the manner in which the stream may be directed by the flexible nozzle.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the pump and nozzle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different gures.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration, as being applied to a portable tank I adapted to be carried by the operator through the provision of suitable shoulder straps 2, or in any other desired manner. One end Id` of the tank I provides an opening covered by a removable cap 3, whereby the tank may be lled with water and a second opening 4 for receiving the combined nozzle and pump assembly which constitutes the present invention.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, a collar 5 is secured within the tank opening 4 by means of a flange 5a and bolts 6 cooperating with a clamp ring 1. The collar 5 carries one end of a hollow casing 8 which extends into the tank I, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and terminates in an elbow 9 closed by a valve cage I l). The valve cage I0 provides an inlet port I I with which cooperates a ball valve I2 held loosely in position by means of a pin I3. A suitable strainer I4 is carried by the cage IU, beyond the port II, and

obviously the valve I2 is adapted to open inwardly in response to suction created within the casing 8. The elbow 9 faces towards the outside of the tank I, so that the pump is adapted to drain the tank in the position of Fig. 2.

A hollow piston I5 extends within the casing 8 l 6 and its outer end portion is movable within a packing gland I6 threaded into one end of the casing 8. An inner gland I l, also threaded Within the casing 8 serves to hold the packing I8 between the glands and so provide a water tight 10 seal for movement of the piston I5 within the casing 8. The inner end of the piston I5 carries a valve cage I5, making a close t with the inside of the casing 8, the cage I9 providing a port 20 having a ball valve 2I cooperating therewith. u The valve 2l is adapted to open inwar-dly in response to pressure developed within the casing 8 when the inlet valve I2 is closed.

The piston I 5 extends beyond the gland I6 and is externally threaded to receive a nozzle base 22. 20 The base 22 provides a central opening 23 and its outer end is reduce-d to receive one end of a flexible tube 24. The other end of the tube 24 lits on a sleeve 25 and a nozzle tip 26 is screwed on the sleeve 25 into abutting relation with a 25 flange 21 forming part of the sleeve 25.

The parts of the nozzle described thus far are held together as a exible unit by means of a mass of rubber 28, or other similar material, which is molded around the base 22, tube 24 and 30 sleeve 25. The rubber 28 extends continuously from the ange 21 of the sleeve 25 to a point beyond the base 22, so that a portion of the piston I5 is also enclosed, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The rubber 28 is thickest 35 around the base 22 and it is somewhat concave near the tip 26, so that the entire nozzle readily fits the hand of the operator and therefore serves as a handle for operating the piston I5.

In operating the extinguisher, the rubber noz- 40 zle portion 28 is seized by one hand of the operator and the piston I5 drawn outside of the tank I, as sho-wn in Fig. 2. Then this occurs, suction created within the casing 8 by the outward displacement of the piston serves to open the inlet 45 Valve I2 yand admit water through the port II. The operator then reverses the pull on the nozzle 28 to force the piston I5 within the casing 8, which has the effect of closing the valve I2 and opening the piston valve 2 I. 50

As inward movement vof the piston I5 continues, water under pressure is discharged through the nozzle tip 26 and the direction of the stream can be readily controlled by flexing the nozzle 28, as indicated in Fig, 3. Flexure of the nozzle 28 to 55 direct the stream to any desired spot is accomplished instinctively by the operator, simultaneously with the application of suilcient force to move the piston on its pressure stroke. That is t'o say, as the operator squeezes the nozzle in order to use it as a handle for the piston, the nozzle is simultaneously flexed by wrist movement of the .operator to accurately direct the stream. A re extinguisher embodying the present invention is therefore of great lutility in ghting spreading llames, such as are encountered in forest res. For example, the stream can be directed rst downwardly at the ground and then upwardly into the branches of trees, with one combined hand and wrist motion of the operator.

As previously pointed out', the rubber 28 encloses the end of the nozzle base 22 and a portion of the piston, so that there is no shock at the end of the pressure stroke. As shown in Fig. 4, the rubber then abuts a flange 16a of the gland I6, thereby reducing Wear on the metal parts of the nozzle to a minimum.

From 'the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided a re extinguisher of the hand-operated, portable tank type, characterized by an improved nozzle and pump vconstruction -which permits the stream to be directed at any desired objective with the same hand and arm movement which accomplishes the pressure stroke of the piston;

I claim:

1. In a hand-operated -pump for a portable iire extinguisher, a combined nozzle and piston assembly comprising a hollow piston providing a valve at one end, a base mounted at the other open end of said piston, a flexible metallic tube extending from said base and terminating in a nozzle tip, and rubber molded around said base, tube and tip in the form of an integral handle capable of being grasped and flexed in any direction coincident with movement of the nozzle and piston as a unit, in the direction of the piston axis.

2. In a hand-operated pump for a portable fire extinguisher, a combined nozzle and piston assembly comprising a hollow piston providing a valve at one end, a nozzle base mounted at the other end of said piston with a central opening and a reduced portion to receive one end of a exible metallic tube, a sleeve for receiving the other end of said tube and terminating in a nozzle tip, and rubber molded around said base, tube and sleeve in the form of a handle capable `of being grasped and iiexed in any direction coincident with movement of the nozzle and piston as a unit, in t'he direction of the piston axis.

THOMAS G. SLACK. 

